Gavin Williamson dubbed relations with Moscow “exceptionally chilly” after the poisoning of Russian former double agent Sergei Skripal and daughter Yulia, who remain in hospital along with a British policeman who went to their aid. On Wednesday Theresa May announced the UK was expelling 23 Russian fake “diplomats” and taking other steps including a World Cup boycott by British officials and royals. Mr Williamson said during a visit to Bristol: “We will look at how Russia responds to what we have done. It is absolutely atrocious and outrageous what Russia…

New research found that more than a quarter of adults in England have more than one long-term illness such as high blood pressure or diabetes. And the majority of GP consultations, prescriptions, and hospital admissions were associated with patients with so-called multimorbidity, according to experts. Researchers said that NHS services designed to treat single illnesses need to be redesigned to cope with the rising tide of people with multiple long-term conditions. The authors of the study, published in the British Journal of General Practice, point out that patients with numerous…

Well-placed for commuting to Oxford, Bristol, Birmingham – even London – it’s equally convenient for holiday lets because of its central position. Most of the Cotswolds is in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire but it also dips into Worcestershire, Wiltshire and Somerset making it an easy drive from Wales, the West Country, the Midlands and the South. “We’ve found that properties in the Cotswolds earn more on average than elsewhere in England,” says Peter Harrison, chief commercial officer of Sykes Holiday Cottages (sykescottages.co.uk). “A holiday home in this part of the country…

Q – Following last week’s enquiry about the podiums on the Pointless quiz show, can you please tell me the size of the Pointless trophy and what it is made of, or indeed do they exist at all as we never see one presented to the winners. Renee Huby, by email A- The Pointless trophy is made of glass and is 12cm high, 5.5cm wide and 5.5cm deep (that’s about 5in x 2in x 2in). I am told that if you move it in the light the centre Pointless part…

Intrepid Hannah McKeand, 44, became stranded last month on the bleak Golomyanny Island, in the Kara Sea, with Canadian adventurer Dongsheng Liu. The pair were left trapped at the start of a daring North Pole bid when their Russian support helicopter crashed soon after dropping them off. Bristol-born Ms McKeand and Mr Lui pleaded for help, saying they were sheltering from polar bears in a far-flung, abandoned meteorological station. Now she has revealed on Twitter they have finally been rescued by plane and taken to Khatanga, on the Russian mainland’s…

Owen Farrell has been urged to bring his confrontational style to the England captaincy and get “in the face” of France by Eddie Jones, but was warned he must curb his aggression when talking to the referee. Farrell will captain England from the start for the first time on Saturday, having escaped punishment for his role in the tunnel bust-up before England’s defeat by Scotland last month. Farrell was caught on camera running up the tunnel to accost Scotland’s No 8 Ryan Wilson but England argued that he was coming…

Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. SUBSCRIBE To the average sports fan, Disney handed James Pitaro a dream job earlier this week when it named him president of ESPN. But to media insiders, the job could be viewed as a nightmare. “[ESPN has] yet to map out to investors how they’re going to traverse the path from linear cable and how they’re going to make gobs of money from streaming,” said Eric Jackson, a founder of EMJ Capital, a Toronto-based…

Tony Pulis’ Boro sit three points off of sixth-placed Sheffield United despite their inconsistent form, having conceded a 96th-minute equaliser to draw 3-3 with bottom-of-the-table Sunderland last time out. But their superior goal difference would lift them above both Bristol City and the Blades if they could claim victory this evening. Leeds, meanwhile, sit in 11th the Championship table and six points off the top six, but could join tonight’s opponents on 52 points with a win in the north east. Paul Heckingbottom claimed his first victory as Leeds boss with their defeat of…

Dr Glen MacPherson works in Vancouver (Rex) More Tens of thousands of people around the world hear ‘The Hum’ – a mysterious, low, rumbling noise which can be so intense it keeps people awake at night. ‘The Hum’ has been featured on the X-Files, and became a tabloid news story in Britain, with people in Bristol claiming they suffered nosebleeds from a mysterious humming noise. Yahoo News spoke to the scientist is closing in on its source – with an online ‘Hum Map’ where 17,000 sufferers have come forward to…

Experts had previously believed the Moon was formed when a Mars-sized infant planet – known as Theia – hit Earth with a glancing blow, striking at a 45 degree angle some 4.5 billion years ago. As a result, chunks of Theia and Earth collected in Earth’s orbit to eventually form the Moon. But experts from Harvard University, the University of Bristol and University of California now believe the chance the collision actually happened are virtually impossible. New research suggests Earth did hit another small planet some 4.5 billion years ago,…